Hello dear house building enthusiasts,
I would like to convert the attic (2nd floor) of an older building (built in 1974). When the house was constructed in the 1970s, the builder already planned a floor layout for the attic, knowing that it would be converted a few years after completion.
Unfortunately, life got in the way and it was never converted. For the past 45 years, it has been used as a “luxury storage attic.” As you can see from the two floor plans, there is a balcony, several skylights, and also regular windows. I have attached the current state (Ist-Stand_2018.jpg). As you can see, no walls have been built yet.
I reconstructed the originally planned layout (see attachment “Ursprünglicher_Grundriss.jpg”) from the old documents and redrawn it. Unfortunately, I am unsatisfied with this layout for the following reasons:
I have already put a lot of thought into this but haven’t found a satisfactory solution. I have attached one of my drafts (Grundriss_Neuentwurf.jpg). In this version, I like the placement of the kitchen, dining area, and bathroom very much, but I have the following issues:
In general, I have a question:
The apartment measures 107 m² (1150 sq ft) calculated according to living space regulations. Is it common for a size like this to accommodate 2 children’s bedrooms plus 1 master bedroom, or is it more usual nowadays to have 1 child’s bedroom and 1 master bedroom?
Since the apartment is not intended for me, I have no personal preferences.
Thank you in advance for any help and ideas!
Best regards,
Flasher
I would like to convert the attic (2nd floor) of an older building (built in 1974). When the house was constructed in the 1970s, the builder already planned a floor layout for the attic, knowing that it would be converted a few years after completion.
Unfortunately, life got in the way and it was never converted. For the past 45 years, it has been used as a “luxury storage attic.” As you can see from the two floor plans, there is a balcony, several skylights, and also regular windows. I have attached the current state (Ist-Stand_2018.jpg). As you can see, no walls have been built yet.
I reconstructed the originally planned layout (see attachment “Ursprünglicher_Grundriss.jpg”) from the old documents and redrawn it. Unfortunately, I am unsatisfied with this layout for the following reasons:
- The kitchen was also meant to serve as a dining area (typical open kitchen). Due to the kitchen’s position under the sloped roof, it is undersized. It was intended to place a table for 3 people in the kitchen.
- A child’s room can only be accessed via the common staircase, not through the apartment itself. That is a no-go for me.
- I would have liked a combined living and dining area.
I have already put a lot of thought into this but haven’t found a satisfactory solution. I have attached one of my drafts (Grundriss_Neuentwurf.jpg). In this version, I like the placement of the kitchen, dining area, and bathroom very much, but I have the following issues:
- I can’t find a satisfactory way to place the sofa.
- I would have liked to use the entire width of the balcony for the living room. Now, I placed a bedroom in half of the balcony space and would even have to remove the door-window combination to the balcony.
In general, I have a question:
The apartment measures 107 m² (1150 sq ft) calculated according to living space regulations. Is it common for a size like this to accommodate 2 children’s bedrooms plus 1 master bedroom, or is it more usual nowadays to have 1 child’s bedroom and 1 master bedroom?
Since the apartment is not intended for me, I have no personal preferences.
Thank you in advance for any help and ideas!
Best regards,
Flasher
Flasher schrieb:
I am a complete layperson on this topic, but the balcony "faces the street." That means I could imagine that it might be accepted as a second escape route. The fire department could easily access the balcony with a ladder.As far as I know, escape routes refer to living areas and not the entire apartment, including bedrooms. However, I am not a landlord—since you want to rent out the property, you should move beyond the layperson stage and acquire knowledge specific to being a landlord.
M
Mottenhausen12 Dec 2018 10:13A balcony is permitted as long as the door to the balcony is wide enough (1.10 m [3.6 ft]) and the balcony is accessible by ladder.
That is nonsense. A second escape route for the entire residential unit is sufficient; otherwise, no room with only roof windows could be used as a bedroom, dining room, or living room.
ypg schrieb:
The escape routes refer, as far as I know, to living areas and not the entire apartment, including the bedrooms.
That is nonsense. A second escape route for the entire residential unit is sufficient; otherwise, no room with only roof windows could be used as a bedroom, dining room, or living room.
Attached you will find a floor plan that includes the missing dimensions.
Ridge:
Well spotted! The column in the "living room" is the point where the ridge line is offset. Why is the ridge offset at this point?
The house has a boundary line building restriction. For this reason, this corner is cut out from the building structure and no windows are placed there.
@ypg
Be assured that I am working hard to move beyond the amateur stage.
Ridge:
Well spotted! The column in the "living room" is the point where the ridge line is offset. Why is the ridge offset at this point?
The house has a boundary line building restriction. For this reason, this corner is cut out from the building structure and no windows are placed there.
@ypg
Be assured that I am working hard to move beyond the amateur stage.
Mottenhausen schrieb:
That’s nonsense. A second emergency exit for the dwelling unit is sufficient; otherwise, no room with only roof windows could be used as a bedroom, dining room, or living room.I don’t really think your argument is nonsense, especially when it’s not about single-family houses but apartment buildings. What you later build or convert in your own property isn’t really controlled by the authorities.
But you are basically right, I checked again: apartments do require two independent emergency exits, and that condition is met here.
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